Page 52 (2/2)

Krysta, darling, please wake up

Wake up? She wasn’t asleep She had just closed her eyes for a second

Cold needles pricked her skin Pain pierced her Everywhere

Screaed to open her eyes and found herself in a bathtub full of ice and water with Etienne at her back

Etienne ignored the cold stinging his skin and locked his aret out of the tub

Melanie and David es of ice into the water

Tears threatened as Etienne subdued Krysta Tears of relief He had thought he had lost her He had been talking to her, telling her about that stupid bet, and she had lost consciousness

There had been no drea had become shallow

David had sensed his panic and come to check on her Melanie had followed The alarm that had crossed her face when she had taken Krysta’s teles slowed Her breath caulate his body teh to warm her, but that would defeat the purpose I’m sorry

She didn’t think an answer to him Etienne wasn’t even sure she was lucid

Then one of her hands--shaking violently--rose, clasped one of the arht squeeze

Eyes burning, he dipped his head and buried his face in her hair

"Could I just say again that this is awesoh UNC’s cahed "Which part?"

"All of it Being so strong and fast Being able to see so much I can’t believe I can walk around in the dark without a flashlight now"

Grinning, he shook his head She had been immortal for a couple of weeks now and had made the adjust herself with blood, though he suspected that would have been vastly different if she actually had to drink it

"I can hear everything," she marveled "Which can be kinda creepy I’ve never paid much attention to wildlife, so I don’t knohat ani a lot of sounds And the smellsSo many! Good and bad"

"It’s heady, isn’t it?" he asked

"It really is" She leaned into hiood, by the way"

"As do you"

"Those vaood They s"

"Excellent" He had caught their scent only seconds before she had "How many are there?"

Her nostrils flared as she drew in a deep breath "Four"

"How far away?"

"That one’s harder" She bit her lip "Aa hard tirow htened senses The va quickly, so that can throw you off"

"Oh"

"Sounds like they’re headed for Keenan Stadiu it up for shits and giggles That’s a saying, right?"

She laughed "You can ease up on the slang now We’re together"

He grimaced "I just don’t want you to think I’m too old for you"

"I don’t And, if I ever had--which I didn’t--one night in bed with you would have convinced ht"

"Why not? It uess it would Let’s go"

Holding her hand, he sped toward UNC’s football stadiu Krysta to a halt, too

"Ow," she co her shoulder "Maybe we shouldn’t hold hands e run at preternatural speeds"

"Forgive h alert He raised her hand to his lips Do you sht

She sniffed the air Her brow furrowed Is thatgun oil?

Yes Let’s head up to the roof Hebeside the yet, he lifted her into his arms and nimbly leapt up onto the roof

I really want to learn how to do that, she said as he lowered her feet to the asphalt

Etienne pulled the infrared scope froht eye

Is itthe darkened campus with her sharp brown eyes

It took him a moment to confirm it Yes Even with the scope they’re hard as hell to locate There are two in the bushes there He pointed Twounit Another on that one More on the ground TheyI’ve seen hunters wear Without the scope, I can’t differentiate theuys are deter them all There don’t seem to be nearly as many as the last time Maybe a dozen

He drew her over into the shadows beside the air-conditioning unit and handed her the scope I don’t think they’ve spotted us yet